Why Nostalgia Marketing Works (Taylor’s Version)
Very few artists record hit albums. Even fewer record the same hit album twice.
As a deeply devoted Taylor Swift fan, it was never questioned that I would dive right into Taylor’s re-records of her albums. Like millions of my Swiftie brethren, I will always support Taylor and her ownership of her music.
But in her re-releases, Taylor is not just marketing her albums; she’s also marketing nostalgia. She’s capitalizing on whatever each of us was feeling in 2012 when RED was first released — throwing us right back to the exact memories and emotions we felt when we heard RED for the very first time. It should be no surprise that Taylor Swift, Marketing Queen, is using nostalgia as a proven marketing strategy for her re-releases, as well as her upcoming Eras tour.
What is nostalgia marketing and why it works
Nostalgia Marketing is “the strategy of tapping into positive, familiar concepts from previous decades to build trust for new ideas and reinvigorate modern campaigns.” Nostalgia marketing is all about playing on the emotion of fond memories to build a positive association. So even if you’re faced with a new product or service, the connective tissue to a pleasing memory makes this new product or service positive by association.
Nostalgia is often associated with childhood or adolescent memories since for many, childhood was filled with days of no stress, playfulness, and pure joy. Nostalgia marketing tends to use universally recognized fads, trends, or icons to tap into the collective positive emotion of an entire generation. For example, I used to watch hours of classic cartoons growing up. So when this 1999 MasterCard commercial aired, even though I had no idea (at the time) what MasterCard was, I immediately had a positive association with the brand (and remember this ad as a favorite over 20 years later)
Is RED (Taylor’s Version) a work of marketing nostalgia?
The release of RED (Taylor’s Version) may not necessarily by definition be considered Nostalgia Marketing. Why? Because Taylor isn’t using a different trend, brand, or fad to make a positive association with herself. Instead, she’s using her younger self, and the emotions Swifties had when they first heard and fell in love with RED in 2012, as the positive association with a not-quite-new-but-definitely-improved product released in 2021.
Regardless, Taylor knows the power of music to bring up memories, and the power of nostalgia to sell records. She shared, “I think one of the nostalgic things about this for fans is going back in your life for where you were when that album came out…I’m just feeling lots of nostalgic feelings but all the memories I’m feeling are with the fans over the years in concert. It’s really a celebration of that bond that we have.”
When RED (Taylor’s Version) was released 11 years after the original, fans across social media reported being pulled right back into the emotional state they found themselves in back in 2012. Married women locked themselves in their rooms crying over ex-boyfriends of years past as they listened to All Too Well (Taylor’s Version) (Don’t even get me started on All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)!) 32-year-olds are rocking out to 22 (Taylor’s Version) as if they just bought a round of double vodka sodas at a karaoke bar (I say this without any personal experience of doing this at 22…)
The role music plays in tapping into emotional nostalgia
Is this powerful emotional response happening because of fans’ love of Taylor? Sure. But more likely, fans are pulled right back to where they were years ago because of music’s ability to trigger emotions.
Music is known to elicit powerful emotional responses, potentially even the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Music also creates its own “musical memory” that helps create deeper connections and associations, according to the late Oliver Sachs. “Music can provoke general recollections, for example, the feeling of what it was like to be a child…And some songs will prompt nostalgia over more specific scenarios,” according to a 2018 VICE article on the science behind music’s nostalgic power. Combining the power of Taylor Swift, with the emotional memory of music, is a one-two punch that’s bound to leave any Swiftie like a crumped-up piece of paper lying here.
When it comes to music and nostalgia marketing, newer brands looking to build awareness or reach new customers can overcome being the new kid on the block by using music familiar to their target audience. The sonic equivalent of comfort food, a nostalgic song can create positive, soothing associations with an otherwise unfamiliar brand. It’s one reason new artists often sample older, popular tracks on new music — bridging the gap between the familiar and unfamiliar “can propel mediocre tracks to the top of the charts.”
With the imminent release of Taylor’s next re-recorded album (at least according to die-hard swifties who have carefully decided the Easter eggs in Taylor’s videos), and with her Eras Tour kicking off in March, we can expect to see Taylor Swift continuing to capitalize on the marketing power of memory and nostalgia. It’s a savvy business move on Taylor’s part, necessitated by the unfortunate sale (and resale) of her masters. But it may also prove to be a roadmap for other artists looking to reignite their fanbases, or brands interested in reintroducing themselves to old fans.
With the resurgence of 90’s fashion and trends, you could imagine 90’s favorite fashion brands like Mudd Jeans and Steve Madden partnering with 90’s musicians like Christina Aguilera or Smashmouth (do they still exist?) to reconnect with their audiences and reignite their brands. Although, I really hope no one brings low-rise jeans and 3-inch flatforms back…I’ll stick to hoping the old Taylor can rise from the dead and come to the phone when she re-releases Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
For more on my Taylor Swift POV, check out my podcast AP Taylor Swift.
